This article is sponsored by Poise® Brand. All opinions expressed are my own.
But when I looked at my goals and what was really important to me, I realized that doing really active things with my boys was at the top of the list!
And I had just given up.
Unable to accept this new and sedentary lifestyle as normal, I tackled this problem over a 6-month timeframe last year. {Spoiler Alert} Today, I feel better and stronger than I have in years. I also have been hiking, biking and skiing with my boys and keeping up in a way that makes my 49-year-old body proud!
Strategy 1: Lose Weight
I went to the doctor’s last year to get some blood tests done to see if there was any reason for feeling tired and run down. The blood tests weren’t as memorable as the reading on the scale…174 pounds. I remember that weight because it was the biggest I got with my largest pregnancy 18 years ago. I looked in the mirror at my 5′ 8″ frame and wondered HOW all that weight could be distributed. When I was pregnant, I was huge. In this case, it was simply a thick layer over EVERY part of my body. Seeing that number was the catalyst for losing 32 pounds over the next few months. This made a huge difference in my ability to be active. It is like I took off a 32-pound backpack that I was carrying everywhere. It was a noticeable difference when I went for my first post-weight loss bike ride. I felt like I was flying!
Strategy 2: Morning Walk
Walking every morning has become a habit for my husband, Greg, me and our dog, Panda. Greg and I are still half asleep when we get started, but not Panda. Her early morning walk enthusiasm is infectious. We walk around our neighborhood for about 25 minutes. It gives us time to catch up, take some deep breaths before the day starts and enjoy the area that we love around our home. Walking has helped me lose the weight more efficiently, decrease my back and neck strain from working at a computer all day and decrease my stress level. It was a really good first step back into regular exercise once I was a little stronger.
Strategy 3: Regular Exercise
Once I had been walking daily for a few months, I started back to exercise classes. I like exercise classes because they are less boring and hold more accountability due to the other members. This time I chose a pilates class that was done on a piece of equipment called the reformer. I have fallen in love with this class because it is challenging, yet I feel better when I leave than when I came in. In the early weeks, I was going twice a week and I have worked up to four times a week. I am so much stronger, more flexible and have better endurance. A bonus is that my clothes are fitting in a much more flattering way!
Strategy 4: Preparedness
Being prepared in case of light bladder leakage (LBL) gives me the ability to concentrate on whatever exercise or activity I am doing instead of freaking out about peeing in my pants. And Poise’s® new pad with wings makes it so simple! The wings help the Active Collection pads stay in place for better coverage, and are surprisingly thin and discreet…even under leggings. My pilates teacher was laughing the other day about how before she was a mom she didn’t understand why when she led the class in a jumping exercise the attending moms would either groan or glare at her. Now she has a daughter…and a greater understanding of why that happened! It is not uncommon. 1 in 3 women experience light bladder leakage. Based on my informal “research” talking with my friends, I think this number is even higher in the mom community.
Strategy 5: Drink More Water
I did a little internet searching on the benefits of water and came up with a lot of reasons why increasing water intake is a good idea:- It can help maintain healthy weight
- Improve skin appearance & health
- Help me make wise food & beverage choices
- Decreases stress level
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